Ivo Varbanov is a Bulgarian pianist who has linked his name to the musical culture of Great Britain. The works he selected in this album are Piano Concerto for and Ballade №2. The musician told Radio Bulgaria that he had dreamed of making these recordings for more than ten years, but various circumstances prevented him. After a serious illness Ivo returned to the music scene in 2013 and had been preparing this project since then. The recordings were made in January 2016. Misunderstandings with the music company that was to release the record followed. Ultimately, renowned company Hyperion Records took the task of releasing the album. We must also recall a not very pleasant fact - the music of Dimitar Nenov, appreciated by specialists and music lovers, is almost unknown among the wider audience in Bulgaria. The main reason for this is the complete ban on performing works by Nenov for a long time during the socialist regime in this country.

Extremely talented and educated, Dimitar Nenov graduated from the University in Dresden with architecture degree in the 1920s. At the same time he also studied music, and later he would graduate as a pianist in Bologna.His works are characteristic of the period in which Bulgarian composers were evolving. As a student in Dresden, Dimitar Nenov supported himself as a pianist in cinema, during rehearsal and so on. After working for several years as an architect in his homeland, he decided to devote himself entirely to music. He has performed at hundreds of concerts in Germany, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and others. Among his most remarkable works is the Piano Concerto.

“The work process was highly professional", Ivo Varbanov explains. "I speak about the orchestra, the conductor, sound engineer, and producer Martin Georgiev (Conductor and composer, Martin Georgiev has been living in England for years, working at Covent Garden). Critics have published positive but cautious reviews about the CD. Since they have nothing to compare the record to, reviews mostly present information about Dimitar Nenov and his works. For me, this is the right first step towards promoting his creativity. Interpretation of works is hardly seen in articles. A review from BBC Music Magazine has just been released. The album was rated 5 of 5 stars as product quality and 4 out of 5 stars for performance. I think the four stars are a pretty good result.”

In order to make the recordings, Ivo Varbanov spent many hours in preparation. He did that simultaneously with other important activities in his life.

“I have a hobby, which has become my second life," the pianist says. “I have vineyards in Bulgaria and I produce wine. This is something different, but at the same time it is very close to music. Shostakovitch once said that anyone who did something serious as a profession should have a serious hobby, too. Also together with my wife we run a record company. We've already realized dozens of recordings and we have plans for more. We sell our records in twenty countries. I have a project with works by Lubomir Pipkov - chamber works for piano, violin and cello, which I perform with two Polish musicians. We will record them next year for the most prestigious Polish record company. I would also like to record some of Dimitar Nenov's songs for vocalist and piano, his piano works ... I'm working on this now.”

English: Alexander Markov